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THE FAVORITES

Layne Fargo

A Novel

#1 Audible bestseller Layne Fargo takes a fierce step into women's fiction a la Carrie Soto Is Back and Romantic Comedy with a modern reimagining of Wuthering Heights set in the intense, dramatic world of elite figure skating.
Champion ice dancers Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha were famous for their scorching chemistry on the rink and infamous for their tempestuous relationship off it until a shocking incident during the Olympics brought their days as a duo to a sudden end. As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the "real story" through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals.

Katarina wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she's telling her story, from the childhood tragedies that first bonded her and Heath to the competing ambitions that finally tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted Shaw and Rocha's every step for years. but the truth may be even more outrageous than the headlines.

Shifting between Katarina's own account of her athletic career and snippets from the tell-all film, THE FAVORITES is a glittering, conversation-sparking page-turner exploring desire and friendship and cutting through double standards and media toxicity with a blade as sharp as any Olympic gold medalist's.

Layne Fargo writes dark, dramatic stories that support women's rightsand also women's wrongs. She's the author of the novels They Never Learn and Temper, co-author of the #1 bestselling Audible Original series Young Rich Widows, and co-creator of the Unlikeable Female Characters podcast on Lit Hub Radio. Before becoming a full-time writer, Layne worked as a dramaturg, a librarian, and a knowledge manager, and she still loves going down a good research rabbit hole.
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Published 2025-01-14 by Random House

Comments

The unlikely ending Fargo bestows on her characters is a hoot. Colleen Hooverstyle romance heads to the Olympic rink. Buckle up.

If you have ever watched Olympic ice dancing teams and wondered if the chemistry between them persists when they're not competing. . .well, have I got a book for you. Part Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones And The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance, and will keep you guessing until its last page.

Engrossing, thrilling, and just downright fun.

THE FAVORITES is the gorgeous, glittering figure skating rewrite of Wuthering Heights you didn't know you needed. Deliciously dark and super passionate. it plays brilliantly with the Brontës and is so good on female ambition and the psychic costs of success. I loved it.

A Goldsboro Books Premier Pick for December 2024 An Amazon January Editors' Pick and Best of the Year so Far An Audible Editors' Pick A January Indie Next Pick An Apple Books January Pick and Best of the Year so Far A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick A LibraryReads January Pick A Book of the Month January Pick A Goodreads Editors' Pick and Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist A USA Today Bestseller A Book Riot Best Book of 2025

THE FAVORITES could not have possibly arrived at a more perfect time...The characters are compelling and raw, the scandals are juicy and shocking, and the unflinching view of the sport's dark underbelly is as fascinating as it is horrifying.

If you're looking for a saucy love story that drops you deep inside a rarefied world populated by emotionally stunted elite athletes, Fargo's latest might be for you.

As romantic as it is thrilling, THE FAVOURITES is an urgent and addictive story of the demands of ambition and the drama of obsessive love. Layne Fargo writes with a passion and propulsion that that will have you captivated until the very last page.

As a former competitive figure skater, I devoured this epic love story set in the passionate world of ice dancing. THE FAVORITES is every bit as spellbinding as it is brilliant. Layne Fargo proves yet again that she is the queen of writing complex, fierce and utterly compelling women. An absolute must read!

THE FAVORITES is nothing short of breathtaking. The ferocious passion between Kat and Heath leaps off the page, and the captivating drama that unfolds on and off the ice is unrelenting. A stunning read.

THE FAVOURITES masterfully weaves ambition and obsession into an epic, page-turning love story. Fargo combines compelling characters with dazzling prose to fully immerse readers into the glamorously cutthroat world of competitive skating. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

[A] gripping, glamorous examination of what motivates us and how far we will go to get what we believe we deserve.

THE FAVORITES is a gripping tale of ambition, love and the fierce world of competitive figure skating. Fargo masterfully weaves a story filled with scorching passion, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Kat and Heath's tumultuous journey. A delicious must- read!

This novel has plenty of twists and turns; triumphs and tribulations; scandals, love, betrayals, and friendship. It is a coming-of-age story rolled into a cautionary tale rolled into a drama of epic proportions. Sharp, short chapters will keep readers turning pages, as all is not what it seems...Those who enjoy stories with a focus on interpersonal relationships, friends-to-enemies-to-friends narratives, and drama will adore Fargo's novel.

Let's just say, I lost count of the number of times that I gasped or felt a punch to the gut while reading this.

A glittery compulsive whirl of a book, filled with spite and love and sequins and ambition. I couldn't stop reading.

Layne Fargo is back with another deliciously scathing, sexy novel. You might not have known you needed Wuthering Heights on ice, but trust me, you do. Passionate, cutthroat, and irresistibly fun. You won't be able to put it down.

THE FAVORITES is Tell Me Lies meets The Cutting Edge a juicy, addictive look at an ice dancing pair whose obsession with winning is matched only by their obsession with each other. Fargo deftly reveals the sweat and blood coursing beneath the ice skating world's glamorous facade, and in the process delivers a razor-sharp account of the thin line between performance and reality. I loved every word!

A dizzying left hook to the jaw that drops the reader behind the scenes of competitive pairs ice dancing...This judge gives THE FAVORITES a solid nine out of 10.

THE FAVORITES is a true literary triple axel- a smart and nuanced retelling of a classic, a tense sports drama, and a perfectly twisted romance. I loved it!

What an addictive readKat and Heath's connection leaps off the page in this sexy, gut-wrenching clash of abilities, values, and wills. As these two soul-mates dance around each other on and off the ice, Layne Fargo weighs the costs of ambition and love, fame and trust, and drive and fate in a story as shimmering and lethal as ice- dancing itself.

THE FAVORITES will be your next obsession. It is a rich exploration of female ambition, desire and love and has the potential to become the next BookTok favourite, offering a welcome escape from a dreary January.